


Puzzle Pieces

by Toonbly



Category: TAZ Balance - Fandom, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Eighth Bird Angus AU, Lost Memories, basically angus was one of the seven birds, eight birds in this case, idk how he's still like ten just roll with it, some good good taako and angus angst, this one doesnt have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 03:25:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17593703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonbly/pseuds/Toonbly
Summary: Taako was used to things feeling out of place, but feeling entire pieces missing from him isn't the most pleasant thing on the planet. Oh well, he can ignore it. That is until he finds a not-so-familiar face on the Rockport Limited.Just a small fic for Eighth Bird Angus AU! Taako and Angus see each other again after having forgotten everything.





	1. The Puzzle

Taako was used to things feeling out of place. He’d grown familiar to the feeling that something just wasn’t there. Sometimes, it felt like there was more than one thing missing. He never knew why, truth be told he’d always chalk it up to poor memory. Forgetting things easily is one of his many, many talents. Somehow though, this was different. Forgetting what items he had in his possession never bothered him much. Forgetting his spell book in his room at the Bureau was never troubling. Forgetting a step in a recipe was upsetting, sure, but nothing compared to this. This was different. This felt...empty. Pieces were missing from him. Pieces he didn’t know where to look for, so he’d stopped trying. Empty feelings are easy to ignore, or that’s what he tells himself. Sometimes he has moments where those pieces feel as though they’ve fallen back into place.

He’d never admit it, but he felt it when he met Magnus and Merle.

He felt it when they saved Barry Bluejeans, y’know before getting him killed in the fires of Phandalin.

He felt it when they’d found his Umbrastaff.

He felt it any time he was in Lucretia’s presence.

He felt it on the day that they’d taken a ride on the Rockport Limited.

“Hello there, sirs!” A small voice called out to them. Taako turned his attention to a small boy sitting at one of the dining car’s tables. There was no way in hell he was older than like, ten. Eleven at most. Curly black hair, a little blue suit. Even from a distance Taako could see a twinkle in the kid’s eye. His heart swelled, he didn’t know why. That feeling was back. That warmth in his chest when the pieces of an unsolvable puzzle, even if just for a moment, all fell back together. Taako approached with his colleagues, Magnus and Merle. The two of them did most of the talking, Taako didn’t breathe a word. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know why. He didn’t know what he wanted to say. Could Merle and Magnus feel this too?

“What’s your name, bud?” Magnus said, smiling wide.

“Angus McDonald!” The boy replied.

Heartstrings being tugged at. Again. That’s all he could feel. This kid had to have had a charm spell on him or some shit.

“So hey, pumpkin.” Taako finally spoke, “Where uh..Where are your parents? You’re like, two? Three? Why’re you on a train alone.”

“Um, well...Okay. I’m ten, and I’m going to go visit my grandpa in Neverwinter!”

“Likely story.” Taako muttered to Merle.

“..Sir I can still hear you.”

“Well kid maybe you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”

“You’re literally two feet away from me, I couldn’t not hear you.”

“Tsk, tsk, Agnes. Did your grandpa never teach you manners?” Taako said, ruffling the young boys hair.

Taako would later find out that Angus wasn’t telling the whole truth. He couldn’t fault him for it, after all he did walk onto the train claiming to be a man named “Justin.” Whoever the hell that was. Turns out, the kid was a homicide detective. At age ten. Fucking insane who the militia will let into their league nowadays. He was visiting his grandpa, this part was true, but he was also here to solve the case of a serial killer in Rockport. Thank fucking Gods, there’s no way they would’ve caught Jenkins without him. He’d never admit that, though. Angus would get too smug if he did.

Neverwinter citizens surrounded them, asking what happened, why the fuck did a train just up and vanish, about a-hundred other questions that they didn’t have time to answer. Taako paid no mind to it, his focus was still on Angus. He stood talking to the Neverwinter militia, explaining the situation as best he could. The kid left out the details of the Relic, what little he knew of it that is. Angus seemed so...Okay? There wasn’t any sign that he’d been shaken up by any of this at all. Witnessing a homicide, almost dying at least three times that day, being shoved off a moving train, none of it disturbed the kid. It was..concerning.

“Hey! Taako!” Magnus said, “We need to get back to the Bureau soon.”

“Oh- Right. Um-” Taako’s gaze fell back to Angus, “Just one second okay?”

He parted from his own trio, approaching Angus as the militia departed. “Hey, kid!” Taako called out.

Angus faced him, a smile spreading across his face. Taako could see that he was now missing two teeth, probably from the train jump. “Mr.Taako!” He said. “Are you and your friends about to head out?”

“Um..Yeah, uh. Kid, listen.” He knelt down to Angus’s eye level, placing a hand on Angus’s shoulder. “Are you..Like, alright?” He asked, his voice becoming soft.

Angus’s face twisted in confusing, “Yes, sir I’m okay! Why, what’s wrong?”

“Well- Fuck. Listen. You’re just a little kid, and what happened in there was pretty messed up. Plus, y’know, jumpin’ off a train can’t be that fun either. I see two of your chompers got got.” He forced a smile.

“Well, you are the one who pushed me off the train, sir."

“I MEAN, YEAH- BUT- LISTEN.” Taako sighed, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Angus nodded, “Yep! I’m right as rain! It’s very sweet of you to check up on me, Mr.Taako.”

“Yeah okay no don’t get cheesy on me. I just don’t wanna be responsible for traumatizing a fuckin’ baby.” Taako said as he stood up.

“Again I’m...Not. A baby sir I’m ten.”

“Close enough.” He ruffled the kid’s hair again, “We gotta head out. Stop getting involved in train murders you little goober.”

Angus laughed, “I can’t promise anything.”

They departed without saying goodbye. Taako didn’t want to, and he didn’t understand why. He didn’t understand why it was that when he saw Angus walk away, all on his own into the crowd of Neverwinter, he felt so, so scared. He couldn’t explain why departing with this stupid little kid felt so heartbreaking to him. As they returned to the Bureau, that empty feeling returned. It was heavier than usual, a thousand tons had been placed onto Taako’s shoulders as they returned home.

He didn’t attend dinner that night, instead opting to crash into bed the moment he had some alone time. He clung to his blankets, cradling them in his arms. His chest ached, and he fucking hated it. Not even the warmth of his quilts could make the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach go away. He hated this. It was back. That feeling was back. All of the puzzle pieces were lost again, none of them fit together anymore. Taako sighed, burying his face in his pillows.

Empty feelings are hard to ignore.


	2. The Missing Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus McDonald was the world's greatest detective, and he's not being braggy about that. It's just facts. He could solve any case laid before him, he could piece together any puzzle in a matter of minutes.
> 
> Until one day, he boards the Rockport Limited.

There were many things Angus McDonald was good at. He was incredibly intelligent, already having graduated at age ten. Insane, right? He could read at a very quick pace, he once finished five novels in one afternoon. Caleb Cleveland, his favorite book series. He finished the first five books in one sitting. He adored them ever since, and in fact they’re what lead up to him developing his greatest talent: Investigation.

Angus had always been observant, picking apart the little behaviors and quirks people around him possessed. He picked up on noises others didn’t notice, studied patterns no one else paid any mind to. Caleb Cleveland inspired him to pursue this career. It took a lot of convincing, it took so much to convince the militia to let him join, even if it was as a freelance investigator. But he showed them what he could do, and they were impressed. All he had to do was solve one cold case, and he was in. It was so easy, there were so many links none of the adults had noticed. That they hadn’t pieced together. That was Angus’s greatest talent. Putting together pieces of puzzles people said were impossible to solve.

This was why he felt so troubled that day on the Rockport Limited.

It wasn’t the murder mystery, no. Angus found the Rockport Slayer without a sweat. He wouldn’t have been able to without the help of three men who had also boarded the train. One was a large human man, a bushy beard and sideburns adorning his face. After some time he introduced himself as Magnus Burnsides. The other was an older Dwarven man, Angus placed him at maybe late forties early fifties. In human years, that is. His name was Merle Highchurch.

Hearing their names, seeing their faces made Angus feel...Warm? And he didn’t know why.

But that was nothing when he saw the third member of their little posse.

He was a tall, lanky elf. Bright red hair, bright blue eyes, a spray of freckles across his face. He carried an umbrella and wore a tall, worn wizard hat. The elf said his name was Taako, you know, from TV? Angus had no idea what he was talking about, truth be told he’d never heard of him before. That’s what made it so, so strange when Angus was overcome by a feeling of..The only way he could describe it was he felt safe. He felt relief wash over him, he felt a warmth in his chest. He felt like pieces of a puzzle where coming back together.

But he didn’t know why.

Could it be the charm spell one of them had cast at the station? No. That can’t be it. Angus had always had an unusual resistance to spells like that.

Why? Why did this stranger make him feel so safe? Why did he feel at home in his presence? What was going on?

Another puzzle. A complicated one, but surely Angus could solve it.

He always solved it.

Something was off, and Taako felt it too. Or, Angus thought he did. It was never outright, but Taako seemed...Nervous throughout the train ride. You’d think it’s because of there being a little serial killer on board, but no. He was acting strange even before Jenkins had murdered the conductor. He saw it when Taako heard him call out to them, greeting them with a friendly “Hello sirs!” Taako’s eyes widened, he stared at Angus as his two friends approached him. There was a slight hesitation before he joined Magnus and Merle. Even then, he hadn’t spoken until after Angus introduced himself. His smile was forced, he fiddled with his fingers. Something was wrong with this guy, but Angus couldn’t tell what.

When they arrived at Neverwinter Angus could see Taako glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, still acting anxious. The militia left after Angus had explained everything to them. Behind him, Angus heard a voice call out, “Hey, kid!” He turned to see Taako approaching him, his long ears pointing downwards. Worried. Taako was worried. About what?

Taako claimed it was because what happened on the train was some “pretty messed up.” True, after all a man was beheaded and had his hands cut off, but Angus was used to this. Taako could’ve assumed he was used to this, he was a homicide detective after all. Maybe it’s true, maybe Taako was just worried. Most adults worried about him, a small child, running around on his own investigating horrific crimes. Maybe that was the only reason he’d seemed so anxious that day. But Angus swore, he swore up and down, that in the young elf’s eyes he could see something more. A small spark. Something Angus couldn’t describe as anything but..sadness?

Whenever Taako approached him, that feeling came back. The feeling of automatic refuge. The wave of relief that washed over him earlier that day was once again embracing him in it's cool surf. He wanted to say something, he wanted to say so, so many things. He wanted to tell him that-

That…

He didn’t know.

He didn’t know what he wanted to tell Taako.

As Taako walked away, another wave crashed onto Angus. This one much stronger than the last, and a thousand times more painful. He felt like he was drowning. Dread. Absolute dread. He watched Taako disappear into the crowd, and his heart began to race. Part of him wanted to yell after him. Beg him, no, please don’t go. Please don’t leave me again-

...Again?

Again.

That..didn’t make any sense.

Angus didn’t know Taako. Not before today.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Something was physically preventing him from doing so. An invisible barrier that Angus was desperate to break.

Another wave, just as bad as the last. Perhaps worse. Helplessness. He felt helpless.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to turn his back to Taako as he walked in the other direction, allowing himself to become lost in the bustling crowd of Neverwinter. A nice walk would help him clear his thoughts. Seeing his grandfather again would help him clear his thoughts. He just- He just needed to get away from that goddamn train station.

Making a beeline to his grandfather’s home, Angus swore he saw Taako looking back at him one last time.

***

“You know, little one.” His grandfather said, “You need to get out of your own head every once in awhile. It’s not good for a boy your age to be consumed by his own worries so often.”

“Why do you say that?” Angus asked, tapping his fork against his plate over and over again.

“Well, you haven’t touched your food at all. You are aware that tapping the plate doesn’t constitute eating, right?” He chuckled. “You haven’t spoken much since you got here, either. You’re usually so excited after a case, rambling on and on about all the little puzzles you’ve solved that day.”

That’s the thing, he didn’t solve all of them. Pieces were still missing. Pieces that he wasn’t even sure existed. But they had to, right? There’s holes in the puzzle, it’s incomplete. Why aren’t the pieces there, in plain sight, like always? Where had they gone? Why couldn’t he find them? He always found them. Always.

“I’m fine. It was a long day today, is all.” Angus mumbled.

“Kiddo..” His grandfather reached across the table, placing his hand atop Angus’s gently. Angus’s hand fit inside his palm easily, “What troubles you?”

Angus hesitated. How in the world could he explain this to anyone?

Finally, he spoke. “Grandpa..Do you ever. Do you ever feel like, there’s something missing? Like a part of you is gone, and you don’t know where to look for it?”

The old man thought for a moment, “Angus, we all have pieces missing from ourselves. Maybe someone took them, maybe we removed them because we were ashamed of them, maybe it was something else. Sometimes, we long for those pieces to be returned, but a lot of the times they can’t be.”

“But I don’t KNOW what’s missing from me!” Angus said, his voice raising slightly. “I don’t- I don’t know what’s missing! I haven’t felt like this before today and I don’t understand why!” He pulled his hand away from his grandfather’s, propping his elbows up on the table and burying his face in his hands. He felt tears begin to pool in his eyes. “I can’t piece it together! I can’t! I-”

“Angus, young one please relax.” His grandfather interrupted. He stood up from the table, grabbing Angus’s hand once again and placing a hand on his back. “Perhaps you should go to bed early, you’ve clearly had a long day. If you need to, we can talk about this in the morning, okay?”

Angus sniffled, raising a hand and pushing up his glasses to wipe away the tears before they began to flow. He bit his bottom lip and nodded. He just needed to rest. Yeah, that was it. He needed to rest.

His grandfather walked Angus back to his bedroom, tucking him into the bed and giving him a kiss on the forehead before he left the room. Angus could hear him begin violently coughing as he walked down the hallway. Never a good sign, by now Angus knew that.

He couldn’t sleep.

He wasn’t sure how many hours had passed, but he couldn’t sleep.

A cold feeling took over his chest. He felt heavy. He felt helpless.

He felt...empty.

Something was missing. There were missing puzzle pieces, and Angus knew it. He just didn’t know where to search for them. They were out there, somewhere, but where. Where were they. Where had they gone.

Part of him felt like they were with Taako. He remembered the warm feeling that rose in his chest, how safe he felt around Taako. He longed to see him again. To talk to him, just one last time. Maybe Taako understood, maybe he felt the pieces missing too. Someone out there had to understand. Someone out there had to know what was happening.

But, Gods, what was the likelihood of that?

Tears began streaming down his face again. He buried his face into his blankets, clinging to one of his stuffed bears tightly.

It was another puzzle. A complicated one.

A puzzle that Angus McDonald, world's greatest detective, could not solve.


End file.
